1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a stem assembly, and more particularly to a stem assembly for a bicycle that can be adjusted smoothly and manufactured quickly.
2. Description of Related Art
A conventional stem assembly is mounted on a bicycle between a head tube and a handlebar and has a body, a handlebar mount, two engaging elements and a fastener.
The handlebar mount is mounted around the head tube and has an external surface, a connecting segment and a handlebar hole. The connecting segment is formed on and protrudes from the external surface of the handlebar mount. The handlebar hole is formed through the connecting segment.
The body is connected to the handlebar mount and the handlebar and has a proximal end, a distal end, two connecting panels and two bevel gear holes. The proximal end of the body is connected rotatably to the mounting handlebar mount. The distal end of the body is connected securely to the handlebar of the bicycle. The connecting panels are formed on and protrude from the proximal end parallel each other and are connected rotatably to the connecting segment of the mounting handlebar mount. The bevel gear holes are respectively formed through the connecting panels and align with the engaging hole in the connecting segment.
The engaging elements are connected to the mounting handlebar mount and the body and each engaging element has an inner end, an outer end, an engaging post and a head. The engaging post is formed on the inner end of the engaging element and extends through a corresponding bevel gear hole and engages with the engaging hole of the mounting handlebar mount. The head is formed on the outer end of the engaging element and has a bevel gear surface abutting with the bevel gear hole of a corresponding connecting panel of the body. The fastener is connected to the engaging elements to make the engaging elements pressing against the connecting panels and hold the body with the mounting handlebar mount.
However, the conventional stem assembly for a bicycle has the following shortcomings.
1. The conventional stem assembly although provides an adjustable effect to change an angle between the head tube and the handlebar, but the angle is restricted by the bevel gear holes and the bevel gear surfaces. Therefore, a person does not adjust the angle between the head tube and the handlebar smoothly.
2. The components and structure of the conventional stem assembly are numerous and complicated and this will increase the time and cost of manufacturing the conventional stem assembly.
To overcome the shortcomings, the present invention provides a stem assembly to mitigate or obviate the aforementioned problems.